The Walking Dead: "Indifference" Review

You can be a farmer, you can't just be a farmer.

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November 3, 2013

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

As the credits rolled at the close of this week’s Walking Dead I was left feeling bereft. It was in that moment that I realized I’d subconsciously been rooting for Carol. I’d wanted her to rise up and reveal herself as - not so much the hero of the tale, that’s generally Rick’s role - but perhaps the hero of this moment in the group’s journey. I'd resisted the idea of her irrevocable choice; so much so that I’d started to buy the “Carol was covering for Lizzie or someone else” theory. I now concede that this was by far the more interesting and appropriate call.

Her decision raises rich, complex questions and if the episode left me a little bit heartbroken, well then, so much the better. We want that kind of investment in the shows we watch. Life doesn’t serve up faultless heroes. We are human, replete with contradictions, virtues, and flaws. That is what Rick and Carol have been this season – complicated, fascinating, and imperfect humans.

If leadership in the apocalypse is about making tough calls without sacrificing your humanity, then Rick’s confrontation with Carol is perhaps the most interesting exploration of that balance to date. It also feels like a poetic culmination of his three previous “Rick versus X” leadership-style battles. Her act was driven by a need to protect the homestead, as Hershel is; it was about sacrificing the few for the good of the many, as Shane advocated; and she made the call on her own, sans the consensus of the council, and in so doing she was like The Governor.

As to that, some may feel that Carol was justified, others Rick, but they both acted on behalf of the community yet without their consent. Did he have the right to banish Carol any more than she had the right to make the call she did?

Carol and Rick are not fond of apricots.

What was so great about their interplay was that she was neither absolute villain nor weak – as has been the case in the past. Each had lessons to teach the other. Carol was correct in that that Rick had been burying his head in the sand. He needed to step-up and accept that he could not simply disappear into a world of dirt and cucumbers. She needed to awaken him, and awaken him she did, just not in the way she’d hoped.

Rick was assessing Carol just as he does with potential new members. Her rigidity, and her emphasis on a narrow vision of strength, alarmed him. Ultimately, her answer to question number three - “why did you kill?”- failed to satisfy him. Things change, the young become old, the weak become strong, humans become walkers, and Carol had become something Rick could no longer accept. Her indifference terrified him; perhaps rightfully so.

It’s fascinating, though, because if this is Rick’s return to leadership, it’s still a non-committal act in some ways. He simply turned her away, pretending that everything would be okay and that she’d survive. Carol acted. Rick did not. Not entirely. Which is ultimately more valuable in a leader?

Meanwhile, Carol, despite her emphasis on the importance of “facing reality” seemed confused about her relationship with Mika and Lizzie. She claimed them as her own, yet she would not be called “mom”. She would not say Sophia, calling her dead daughter, “somebody else’s slideshow.” Carol faced one truth even as she stuffed down another – she felt she needed to kill, she denied the pain of what she’d lost. These are fascinating and nuanced character choices. We are contradictory creatures, humans. We’re often in battle with ourselves and the show is demonstrating an understanding of that reality.

Tyreese navigates as Daryl drives.

So often, what nourishes us also destroys us, as the saying goes. We saw that idea unfold in this episode. Tyreese’s affection for Karen morphed into deadly rage; Bob was willing to kill and die for a bottle - again; Carol’s idea of strength became polluted without compassion to temper it; and Michonne’s obsession with the Governor, one she confessed she didn’t understand, became a disservice to herself and the group.

Several characters were called upon to let go of something beloved, but dangerous, this week. Michonne’s hunt gave her purpose, but carried her away from life and connnection - as Daryl pointed out. Tyreese’s rage may be his last real connection to the woman he cared for, and his belief in a life that is now over, but hanging onto it will lead to bloodshed – just as much as grasping onto that walker would. Bob clung to his booze, and that may be a choice he lives to regret. Ultimately, it’s about the frailties we’re willing to accept and those we are not. It comes down to trust. Daryl no longer trusts Bob and Rick could no longer trust Carol.

This episode explored universally relatable ideas about the inevitability of change; the necessity of letting go of that which is holding us back and/or no longer serves us, even when it rips our hearts out to do so; and taking action versus staying passive. The scene between Lizzy and Carol at the open is one of the most dynamic on the series to date. It also encapsulated the episode’s themes and arc perfectly: Things alter, but not always for the better; we all have slightly different versions of what it means to “face reality” and often embrace portions of it while unconsciously burying or denying others; there is a time to run, move on, leave things behind, and there is a time to kill.

Random thoughts (WARNING: Slight Reference to Comics):

Loving the evolving dynamic between both Michonne and Daryl and Tyreese and Michonne.

Have to wonder how Daryl will respond to Carol’s absence.

Lizzie may or may not be the “Ben” of the show, but she certainly is struggling to understand that dead and gone is dead and gone; which would be natural for a child growing up in a world of reanimated bodies.

There’s been an interesting addiction motif this season that I’d like to dig into at some point

The Verdict

The Walking Dead continues to deliver provocative episodes with an emphasis on subtle, but profound, emotional shifts and some of the most nuanced character development in this history of this series. The show, traditionally, has had a tendency to drift into less refined characterization and dialogue – particularly when it comes to the secondary characters. The series isn’t perfect, and some viewers may take understandable issue with this or that logical break, or perhaps the pacing for those who’d like more of an action-driven plot. However, Season 4’s emphasis on complex responses to this world, the undercurrents of human psychology, and to some degree, answerless questions has been a welcome change.

“Indifference” has left me feeling anything but when it comes to these characters. It lingers, leaving one to wonder what will become of Carol, those girls without her, and Rick as he looks in his rearview mirror wondering if what he left behind really needed letting go.

As always, there’s plenty to dig into. So let us know your thoughts on the episode below and check back with us as we may roll out some more video and editorial commentary this week.